Hi Adrian. I hope all is well with you. I was referred to subscribe to your channel last night and I did. Well, not sure where to start BUT... I have been on my journey with weight loss for a while now and on April 16th of this year I decided to try intermittent fasting. I broke my fast a few times the first week but after that I have been doing well, going to the gym and working out 4-5 days a week doing mostly cardio. From what I've been reading and seeing about IF, people are losing 5-8 lbs a week. Me? I've only lost 4.7 lbs. I am happy for the 4.7lbs down but I was thinking that being the weight that I started (245.4 lbs) would mean I would lose the weight faster. No? I also am watching what I eat via MyFitnessPal to help me count my calories. I usually east between 1200 - 1450 calories. There are days that I have eaten a little less but not much. Also I am 5'1. Please help me because I am discouraged and frustrated doing all I think is right with IF but not seeing the maximum results as people have mentioned. What do you think may be the issue here? Also there is nothing wrong with me medically to say that's the reason I am not losing much weight. I hope to hear from you because I really don't want to give up. I am trying to be healthy! Thank you.﻿ (I also sent this message to you on YouTube. Not sure which messages you check more frequently).

Dr. Michael Mosley popularized this variation of intermittent fasting in his book ‘The Fast Diet’. This involves 5 regular eating days and 2 fasting days. However, on these two fasting days, it is permitted to eat 500 calories on each day. These calories can be consumed at any time during the day – either spread throughout the day, or as a single meal.

Medical supervision is recommended for any fast over three days. Most alternative medicine practitioners, such as homeopaths, naturopathic doctors, and ayurvedic doctors, can supervise and monitor patients during fasts. Those performing extended fasts and those with health conditions may require blood, urine, and other tests during fasting. There are many alternative health clinics that perform medically supervised fasts as well. Some conventional medical doctors may also supervise patients during fasts. Costs and insurance coverage vary, depending on the doctor, clinic, and requirements of the patient.

A mere five years ago, skipping meals was a top diet taboo. Now it's the core of an increasingly popular (and increasingly research-backed) weight-loss approach. Intermittent fasting—periodically eating very little—is not only not bad for you, it may lower blood glucose levels and insulin resistance and reduce inflammation and cardiovascular risk. Why? How? Theories abound, but some experts believe fasting puts your cells under mild stress, just as exercise taxes your muscles and heart, ultimately strengthening them and making them more resistant to disease.
In addition to the fasts mentioned above, Roman Catholics must also observe the Eucharistic Fast, which involves taking nothing but water and medicines into the body for one hour before receiving the Eucharist. The ancient practice was to fast from midnight until Mass that day, but as Masses after noon and in the evening became common, this was soon modified to fasting for three hours. Current law requires merely one hour of eucharistic fast, although some Roman Catholics still abide by the older rules.
As researchers study the different fasting mechanisms to try to determine the ideal protocol for a variety of outcomes in a variety of populations, however, the general public must proceed by trial and error. That leaves dietitians such as myself concerned that the hype around fasting could encourage people to follow harmful plans that severely restrict nutrients, cause stress or unsuccessfully treat serious conditions.
MONDAY: Fast Day // On fast days I only drink coffee, tea, non-caloric drinks and water (flavored sparkling water like La Croix has been awesome during fasting, my favorite is the Peach-Pear flavor). I add a little half & half in my coffee, and those are the only calories I consume on fast days. If/when I feel hunger pains on fast days, I drink a bottle/can of sparkling water and that helps me get through the day.
Often fasting is done for medical or health reasons, or in an attempt to lose weight. For many other people, fasting is an important part of their religious observance. Fasting is done by Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, and Jews, among other groups. Fasting comes from fast, which in turn has an Old English root, fæsten, "voluntary abstinence from food or drink, especially as a religious duty."
What about us? There's an element of good in foods and substances that are ultimately bad for us, even if it's just the good appearance, smell, or taste. Have you ever noticed how beautiful all the colored and distinctly shaped bottles look in a bar? Those bottles always seem lighted in just the right way to make them look very special, very festive, very appealing. Many foods are pleasant to the eyes. Many drinks are presented in ways that make them appear pleasing. We buy into the lie that what is pleasing is also nutritious and beneficial.
On this plan you'll eat clean five days of the week but will not eat anything for two nonconsecutive days of the week. For example, you can fast on Monday and Thursday but eat clean meals on the other days. Food on these five days will look just like the rest of the fasting plans—healthy fats, clean meat sources, vegetables, and some fruit. Keep in mind that this plan is not for beginners, and you should always talk to your doctor before starting any fasting regimen, especially if you are on medication or have a medical condition.
Well, most notably, it’s a great way to get lean without going on a crazy diet or cutting your calories down to nothing. In fact, most of the time you'll try to keep your calories the same when you start intermittent fasting. (Most people eat bigger meals during a shorter time frame.) Additionally, intermittent fasting is a good way to keep muscle mass on while getting lean.
After that timespan, your body goes into what is known as the post–absorptive state, which is just a fancy way of saying that your body isn’t processing a meal. The post–absorptive state lasts until 8 to 12 hours after your last meal, which is when you enter the fasted state. It is much easier for you body to burn fat in the fasted state because your insulin levels are low.

I have found that the 4:3 style fasts have worked well for my friends and me based on our work/life schedule and our personal health goals. I like that full day fasts feel like an on/off switch — I don’t think about eating on fast days and on eat days if I happen to overeat, I don’t feel guilty about it (since I’m eating at a deficit during the week). I find it more manageable to cut calories over a week (using the 4:3 style of IF) instead of every day (trying to eating less daily).

When a feast day occurs on a fast day, the fast is often mitigated (lessened) to some degree (though meat and dairy are never consumed on any fast day). For example, the Feast of the Annunciation almost always occurs within the Great Lent in the Orthodox calendar: in this case fish (traditionally haddock fried in olive oil) is the main meal of the day.

The physiology of fasting has been widely studied and documented by medical science. Beneficial effects such as lowered cholesterol and improved general functioning have been shown. Fasting as a treatment for illness and disease has been studied less, although some studies around the world have shown beneficial results. A 1984 study showed that workers in Taiwan who had severe chemical poisoning had dramatic improvement after a ten-day fast. In Russia and Japan, studies have demonstrated fasting to be an effective treatment for mental illness. Fasting has been featured on the cover of medical journals, although mainstream medicine has generally ignored fasting and detoxification treatments as valid medical procedures.

Add fasting to your church’s calendar. Throughout each year, schedule some time for your church’s congregation to fast to respond to different purposes, such as commemorating the major events in Jesus’ life or dealing with serious issues facing the world (poverty, abuse, the environment, the economy, wars, etc.). Encourage people in your church to fast before they’re baptized, and join with others in your congregation to fast before celebrating Communion. Also, remember to fast together regularly for repentance whenever God leads you all to do so.

Whether you're a speedy eater who overeats before your brain gets the message that you're full or you just never seem to be satisfied, IF might help. “When you're not eating all the time, your hunger hormones don't need to be released that often,” says Jubilee. “The body gets in a better hormonal balance, which enables you to get a grasp on your appetite.”
How can you know if you are praying and fasting according to God's will? Are you praying and fasting for things that honor and glorify God? Does the Bible clearly reveal that it is God's will for you? If we are asking for something that is not honoring to God or not God's will for our lives, God will not give what we ask for, whether we fast or not. How can we know God's will? God promises to give us wisdom when we ask. James 1:5 tells us, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."
Feelings over hunger may also become more tolerable over time. Studies of alternate-day fasting have shown that people rate their hunger at 8 on a scale of 1 to 10 for their first few fast days, but after two weeks, that number drops to 3. Mattson puts the window at three to four weeks, after which, he says, "you're not hungry on fasting days." (Try clean eating to shed stubborn pounds. This plan gives you 150 delicious recipes you'll love!)

Adam and Eve had a choice to make about this one tree. God told them to abstain from eating from its fruit because He did not want His beloved creation to have a knowledge of evil. He had already given them a full knowledge of everything He called "good."He wanted to spare them the heartache of knowing evil. That's true for us today as Christians. God calls us to pursue only what is good. Paul wrote to the Philippians: "Whatsoever things are true . . . honest . . . just . . . pure . . . lovely . . . of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" (Phil. 4:8). God desires only good for His children. He tells us in His Word, "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom. 12:21).

Snacking throughout the day can be a major source of calories you don’t need and is often the ultimate pitfall for dieters. Make sure you stick to your fast by only eating three designated meals a day and leaving the extra snacks out of the equation. Cutting the excess sugar, carbs, and calories not only helps you lose weight but also helps your body become healthier too.

^ Jump up to: a b c Gassmann, Günther; Oldenburg, Mark W. (10 October 2011). Historical Dictionary of Lutheranism. Scarecrow Press. p. 229. ISBN 9780810874824. In many Lutheran churches, the Sundays during the Lenten season are called by the first word of their respective Latin Introitus (with the exception of Palm/Passion Sunday): Invocavit, Reminiscere, Oculi, Laetare, and Judica. Many Lutheran church orders of the 16th century retained the observation of the Lenten fast, and Lutherans have observed this season with a serene, earnest attitude. Special days of eucharistic communion were set aside on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

Whether you're a speedy eater who overeats before your brain gets the message that you're full or you just never seem to be satisfied, IF might help. “When you're not eating all the time, your hunger hormones don't need to be released that often,” says Jubilee. “The body gets in a better hormonal balance, which enables you to get a grasp on your appetite.”
^ Pfatteicher, Philip H. (1990). Commentary on the Lutheran Book of Worship: Lutheran Liturgy in Its Ecumenical Context. Augsburg Fortress Publishers. pp. 223–244, 260. ISBN 9780800603922. The Good Friday fast became the principal fast in the calendar, and even after the Reformation in Germany many Lutherans who observed no other fast scrupulously kept Good Friday with strict fasting.
Another study, this one out of the University of Southern California, discovered that when 71 adults were placed on a five-day fast (eating between 750 and 1,100 calories a day) once every three months, they lost an average of 6 pounds, reduced inflammation levels and their waistlines and lost total body fat without sacrificing muscle mass. (2) If you want to lose weight and lose belly fat, fasting even irregularly could be the key.
The Bible has a great deal to say about both fasting and praying, including commands to fast and pray. The Bible also gives us examples of people who fasted and prayed, using different types of fasts for different reasons, all of which are very positive results. Jesus fasted and prayed. Jesus' disciples fasted and prayed after the Resurrection. Many of the Old Testament heroes and heroines of the faith fasted and prayed. The followers of John the Baptist fasted and prayed.Many people in the early church fasted and prayed. What the Scriptures have taught us directly and by the examples of the saints is surely something we are to do.
Tons of celebs are jumping on the intermittent fasting keto bandwagon, and for good reason. The two work hand in hand to accelerate weight loss, not to mention stimulate lots of other performance-boosting benefits. Fasting is an extraordinary tool for improving your biology. It’s free. It’s universally accessible. It’s adaptable. It’s the reason it’s always been a major part of the Bulletproof Diet.

To make “down” days easier to stick to, Johnson recommends opting for meal replacement shakes. They’re fortified with essential nutrients and you can sip them throughout the day rather than split into small meals. However, meal replacement shakes should only be used during the first two weeks of the diet — after that, you should start eating real food on “down” days. The next day, eat like normal. Rinse and repeat! (Note: If working out is part of your routine, you may find it harder to hit the gym on the lower calorie days. It may be smart to keep any workouts on these days on the tamer side, or save sweat sessions for your normal calorie days.)

Whole-day fasting involves regular one-day fasts. The strictest form would be alternate day fasting (ADF). This involves a 24-hour fast followed by a 24-hour non-fasting period. The alternate day modified fasting (ADMF) and 5:2 diets—the latter defined as five days per week not fasting and two days per week either total fasting or modified fasting—both allow the consumption of approximately 500–600 calories on fasting days.[1][3]
This handy reference guide, Seven Basic Steps to Successful Fasting and Prayer, will help make your time with the Lord more spiritually rewarding. I encourage you to keep it with you during your fast and refer to it often because it gives easy-to-follow suggestions on how to begin your fast, what to do while you fast, and how to end your fast properly.
Basically, the 12:12 plan is a type of intermittent fasting where you eat for 12 hours of the day and fast for the other 12 hours. This method requires you to limit your daily calorie intake within a 12-hour window (meaning 12 hours eating, 12 hours fasting), rather than eating whenever you want throughout the day. For instance, if you eat your evening meal or dinner at 8 p.m., you should have your breakfast around 8 a.m. the following morning while on this plan. The 12:12 is claimed to be the simplest type of intermittent fasting, especially for beginners who are trying to lose weight or simply want to improve health. Read - Weight loss: All you need to know about the 16:8 diet and 6 tips to burn belly fat using intermittent fasting
Peipert was 48, stood at 5 feet, 5 inches, and weighed 174 pounds. During the trial, he cut his daily food intake from 3,300 to 2,475 calories, and his weight dropped to 147 pounds. His health biomarkers, especially his blood pressure, were excellent. “It was a remarkable drop in blood pressure. That taught me that, for our health, if we were just a little thinner, we’d be better off,” says Peipert, a gynecologist and researcher at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
What’s more, 25 percent of people who were assigned to the fasting group in the first part of this study dropped out, compared to 10 percent of those in the regular diet group. That suggests that fasting is hard and maybe not for everyone — even when you’re part of a study. So someone like John Kane, who lost a lot of weight through fasting and loves it, may be in the minority.
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Although it may be unfashionable, try to have dinner early and once you’ve finished your meal don’t eat anything and limit your drinking to water or tea. You’re just avoiding bedtime snacks and watching TV without nibbling so you’re not on a diet and since you’ll be sleeping for most of your fast you probably won’t be hungry. It should be a relatively painless way to see if intermittent fasting works for you.

Of the two most popular methods, Sasson leans toward the 5:2 schedule as slightly more manageable, since you’re only reducing your intake twice a week. But again, that’s contingent on you being a responsible dieter on your days of lowered caloric intake, which requires an immense amount of discipline—especially when it comes to remembering to drink water. “You can go a long time without food, but only a few days without adequate hydration,” she warns.

Good Friday, which is towards the end of the Lenten season, is traditionally an important day of communal fasting for Methodists.[38] Rev. Jacqui King, the minister of Nu Faith Community United Methodist Church in Houston explained the philosophy of fasting during Lent as "I'm not skipping a meal because in place of that meal I'm actually dining with God".[62]